Trae Waynes | Cornerback

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"I thought that Washington's Marcus Peters was a better prospect based on his tape, but his off-field issues and the fact he ran a 4.53 could bump him down a little bit, and Waynes is well-positioned to capitalize," McShay wrote. "One question we'd had about him was his top-end speed, and he definitely put that to rest with a 4.31 40-yard dash. Forty times don't matter a ton at every position, but they definitely matter for cornerbacks." Most of all, we think Waynes' combine showing proved he can excel in any NFL scheme he's placed in. Waynes "cemented himself" as the No. 1 CB in the draft with his 4.35 40-yard dash, CBS Sports' Dane Brugler wrote after the combine, and NFL Media analyst Charles Davis added that Waynes is now a "top 10-15" selection after "showing off his athleticism at the combine." Mar 3 - 1:00 AM

Michigan State CB Trae Waynes "could walk in and be a starter," an NFL scout said.

"He's probably the best (corner) of the bunch," the scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He can press and play off. He can run. He's got length. Very even-keeled. Good teammate. He's not going to talk trash. He does a lot of good things, but he doesn't have rare athletic traits." The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Waynes ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine. "Those guys there have really been well-coached," another scout said. "Kind of a weird built kid. He's long, but he's kind of thin. He can be a press guy but not very good playing off. At the right place he'll have a chance to be a player." Mar 3 - 12:30 AM

An NFC director of personnel said "I didn't think anyone had a better combine than (Michigan State CB Trae Waynes)."

"(Kevin) White and (Byron) Jones had explosive workouts, but I didn't think anyone had a better combine than (Trae Waynes). He was faster than I thought and looked great in the drills. He's the top corner and I don't think it's close," the director said. Sounds about right. Waynes "cemented himself" as the No. 1 CB in the draft with his 4.35 40-yard dash, CBS Sports' Dane Brugler wrote after the combine, and NFL Media analyst Charles Davis added that Waynes is now a "top 10-15" selection after "showing off his athleticism at the combine." Waynes was a press-man corner with good recovery speed with the Spartans, but the movement skills he displayed at the combine showed that Waynes could excel in a variety of NFL schemes. Feb 25 - 7:21 PM

NFL Media analyst Charles Davis believes Michigan State CB Trae Waynes is now a "top 10-15" selection after "showing off his athleticism at the combine."

"After putting up 19 reps on the bench and running a 4.31 in the 40, Waynes has put himself in top 10-15 territory. He's a physical player who can tackle, and he played man coverage the vast majority of the time at MSU. He really elevated his stock by showing off his athleticism at the combine," Davis wrote. Fellow NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah kicks things up a notch, with Waynes going to the Jets at No.6 in his latest mock draft. The Michigan State prospect has a solid chance to be the first cornerback to hear his name called in April. Feb 25 - 2:42 PM

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Michigan State CB Trae Waynes "could walk in and be a starter," an NFL scout said.

"He's probably the best (corner) of the bunch," the scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He can press and play off. He can run. He's got length. Very even-keeled. Good teammate. He's not going to talk trash. He does a lot of good things, but he doesn't have rare athletic traits." The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Waynes ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine. "Those guys there have really been well-coached," another scout said. "Kind of a weird built kid. He's long, but he's kind of thin. He can be a press guy but not very good playing off. At the right place he'll have a chance to be a player."

An NFC director of personnel said "I didn't think anyone had a better combine than (Michigan State CB Trae Waynes)."

"(Kevin) White and (Byron) Jones had explosive workouts, but I didn't think anyone had a better combine than (Trae Waynes). He was faster than I thought and looked great in the drills. He's the top corner and I don't think it's close," the director said. Sounds about right. Waynes "cemented himself" as the No. 1 CB in the draft with his 4.35 40-yard dash, CBS Sports' Dane Brugler wrote after the combine, and NFL Media analyst Charles Davis added that Waynes is now a "top 10-15" selection after "showing off his athleticism at the combine." Waynes was a press-man corner with good recovery speed with the Spartans, but the movement skills he displayed at the combine showed that Waynes could excel in a variety of NFL schemes.

NFL Media analyst Charles Davis believes Michigan State CB Trae Waynes is now a "top 10-15" selection after "showing off his athleticism at the combine."

"After putting up 19 reps on the bench and running a 4.31 in the 40, Waynes has put himself in top 10-15 territory. He's a physical player who can tackle, and he played man coverage the vast majority of the time at MSU. He really elevated his stock by showing off his athleticism at the combine," Davis wrote. Fellow NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah kicks things up a notch, with Waynes going to the Jets at No.6 in his latest mock draft. The Michigan State prospect has a solid chance to be the first cornerback to hear his name called in April.

Michigan State CB Trae Waynes has "cemented himself" as the No. 1 CB in the draft, with his 4.35 40-yard dash, according to CBS Sports' Dane Brugler.

Prior to wowing evaluators with his forty time, the Michigan State prospect was already one of the most impressive cornerbacks on tape this season. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Waynes, has the ability win with his length at the next level. Waynes isn't afraid to play on an island and excels in bump-and-run coverage. The Spartan CB only gave up two touchdowns over last two seasons.

TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline reports that Michigan State CB Trae Waynes "has been running in the 4.3’s during training and could complete more than 20 reps on the bench press."

The scribe passes along that only two cornerbacks completed 20 or more reps last year: Jaylen Watkins (22) and Keith Reaser (22). "Waynes looks like a physical beast on the field and he’ll have a chance to prove as much come Sunday," Pauline wrote. NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt believes Waynes is better than former Spartans CB Darqueze Dennard, and NFL Media colleague Daniel Jeremiah does him one better. Jeremiah prefers Waynes to any corner in the 2014 class, a group including first-rounders Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, the aforementioned Dennard, Bradley Roby and Jason Verrett.

ESPN.com's Kevin Weidl wrote that Michigan State CB Trae Waynes "may not have as a high of a ceiling as some of the other names [in the class], but he is one of the more NFL-ready cornerbacks in this class."

"Waynes is a physical press cornerback who has above-average size and plays with good overall balance," Weidl wrote. "He shows quick recognition skills and has strong ball skills, with the size and strength to hold up in contested situations. While Waynes appears to have better movement skills and is slightly faster than his former teammate and 2014 Cincinnati first-round pick Darqueze Dennard (24th overall), Waynes has some tightness in his lower half, which brings up concerns about his ability to hold up in off-man coverage." NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt believes Waynes is better than Dennard, and NFL Media colleague Daniel Jeremiah prefers Waynes to any corner in the 2014 class. "Waynes is advanced in terms of technique, which in turn allows him to mask some of his limitations," Weidl concluded.

NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah wonders which CBs will elevated into the top two rounds due to position demand.

"Not a great year for CBs," Jeremiah began. "Quality is lacking but demand is sky high." The draft analyst and former scout ranks Trae Waynes as the No. 12 overall prospect, but no other corner until P.J. Williams at No. 30 and Marcus Peters at No. 31.

Michigan State CB Trae Waynes moved from No. 26 to 20 on Todd McShay's Big Board.

"Waynes has good length and speed for the cornerback position, and is at his best in a press-man or Cover 2 role," McShay wrote. "He has above-average field awareness and can track the ball well and maintain good position in coverage. He's also willing to come up in run support and is a sure open-field tackler." NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt believes Waynes is better than former Spartans CB Darqueze Dennard, and NFL Media colleague Daniel Jeremiah does him one better. Jeremiah prefers Waynes to any corner in the 2014 class, a group including first-rounders Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, the aforementioned Dennard, Bradley Roby and Jason Verrett.

"He's very good in press coverage and run support and has very good ball skills," Brandt wrote. "I think he's a better player than former Spartans CB Darqueze Dennard, who was picked in the first round last year by Cincinnati. Expect Waynes to start as a rookie and contribute." Waynes finished his career having started 27 consecutive games. He posted six interceptions and 13 pass breakups over the past two years. NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah wrote earlier this month that he likes Waynes more than any corner in the 2014 class, a group that includes first-rounders Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, the aforementioned Dennard, Bradley Roby and Jason Verrett.

NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah likes Michigan State CB Trae Waynes more than any corner in the 2014 class.

The corners selected in the 2014 first-round include Justin Gilbert, Kyle Fuller, Darqueze Dennard, Bradley Roby and Jason Verrett. Jimmie Ward could be considered a slot corner as well. "Size, speed, tough, instinctive," Jeremiah said of Waynes after watching three games. Waynes played with Darqueze Dennard during his time with the Spartans.

Michigan State junior CB Trae Waynes "sports a lanky frame but doesn't shy from contact and has the fluidity, acceleration and poise when the ball is in the air to handle man coverage duties in the NFL," observed CBS Sports' Rob Rang.

Waynes finished with 46 tackles and 11 passes broken up on the year, adding three interceptions. ESPN's Todd McShay recently slotted him to the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 20 in a mock draft, writing that Waynes "has good length and speed for the corner position, and he's a sure tackler who isn't afraid to come up and assist in run support."

Michigan State junior CB Trae Waynes "will hit it out of the park in Indianapolis," according to TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline.

"I’m told the junior should break into the 4.3’s when (if) he runs the forty the final week of February," Pauline wrote. Waynes announced over the weekend that he will enter the 2015 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 178-pounder is able to jockey with receivers down the field in a way that shorter corners are sometimes physically unable to do. Rated as one of the class' best cover men, Waynes is likely to be a first-round pick.

"I’m sure it’s kind of obvious," said Waynes. "Yeah, I’m gonna go." The corner did not technically end his collegiate career on a highnote against a difficult Baylor matchup, but evaluators have plenty of tape since Waynes started nearly 30 consecutive games. The hierarchy of the corner class is still to be determined.